October 2010

October 22, 2010

Gratitude Friday this week comes to you from the sewing room. The sewing room I'm ever so grateful to have. I cleaned up the junk hole this week. Found the top of my cutting table, dusted off the sewing machine and actually sewed. And it felt good. Just like old times.

I made Bayleigh's Halloween costume- not entirely from scratch, so I guess you'd call it semi-homemade.

The hat and the t-shirt were purchased, I added the little extras. The tutu is a no sew version. Just cut and tie the tulle onto a length of ribbon or elastic. Easy! There are many tutorials online for doing this, the only thing I did differently was double up the tulle to make it extra poofy. I don't think it's showing up in the photo, but every fourth section of tulle is glittery, giving it a little sparkle.

October 13, 2010

Yea, it's not happening is it? I was feeling a bit stressed about it, then I had one of those days yesterday that puts things into perspective. The idea of sitting down and writing about lamps and furniture just seemed utterly ridiculous.

I recently read a blog post about children getting older and asking questions that make us uncomfortable as parents. If I remember correctly, the author opened up by saying when we think about having children, when we decide the time is right, that we want to have children, it's not children we dream of and wish for, it's babies. We want to have sweet little babies to cuddle and nuzzle, to comfort and protect. We don't envision eye-rolling teens and we most certainly don't envision parenting headstrong adults, who are still our children.

I'm finding it a tough road to navigate, this being the parent of adults. Young adults. I think for me it is further complicated by the fact I have no experience to draw from. By that, I mean the relationship between a parent and an adult child. My mom died when I was 19 and to be honest we never had the typical parent child relationship. I learned more about what not to do from her than what to do as a parent. I met my father when I was 25, so needless to say, that wasn't your typical parent child relationship.

I feel lost at sea at times when it comes to knowing how to do what is right for my babes. My babes, who the rest of the world views as grown-ups. They have their own lives, after all. They are ultimately responsible for the decisions they make. I won't be getting anymore calls from the principle to discuss a poorly thought out decision. I can give them advice, but it is up to them whether or not they chose to take it. I can't ground them, can't take away their video games or phone privileges. I can only pray. I can only make myself available to them, listen when they choose to come to me, and try to gently guide them when I fear they are steering off-course. I can't take the wheel and folks, that's not always easy to accept. They are grown-ups with jobs and cars and bills and all the responsibilities that come with being a grown-up, but they are still my children. And as hard as it was to sit up all night rocking a sick toddler, or to wipe away the tears of a little one who's had their feelings hurt by a bully on the playground. As frustrating as it was to battle over homework and chores, nothing compares to the helpless feeling of still needing to nurture and protect and make everything better, yet knowing it just isn't possible anymore. Your super-hero powers as mom have been stripped away. You can't kiss it and make it better anymore. You can't control who they trust with their heart and you can't kiss away the pain when the ones they choose let them down.

It's the greatest job in the world, but it's also the hardest, and unlike most jobs, it doesn't necessarily get easier with experience.

I'm taking Bayleigh to ballet in a few minutes, if that doesn't make my heart smile, I don't know what will.

October 08, 2010

Yep, I missed posting. Twice. Only six days into the month of daily postings and I miss a day. Then another. I have no real reason other than I'm not that great with time management and multitasking and I have a crappy laptop that has been acting up. There you have it, too many projects in the works but none finished makes for a tired blog author with nothing to write about at the end of the day. I won't even bore you with my laptop issues. I'll just say it was a cheapo when new, and I'm afraid I've likely squeezed my money's worth out of it.

This post isn't about whining though, it's about being grateful, being thankful, being aware of the blessings in my life and hopefully encouraging others to do likewise.

I'm grateful for my problems. What?? Yes, you heard it right. Sometimes when I'm feeling sorry for myself all I have to do is stop for a minute and adjust my perspective.

I've been feeling a bit crazy lately. Not one room in my house is clean. I've said it aloud in frustration, "I wish just one room in this house was clean!" Grrr..... It all begins in the garage and the health code violations just continue to mount from there. Less than sparkling toilets, cluttered counter tops, unmade beds, a dining room that looks more like a storage closet and lets not talk about the floors please... the list goes on and on. I never have a spotless, sparkling clean from top to bottom house, but I need things to be somewhat straight. It stresses me greatly when my surroundings are out of control and friends, this week, I've been feeling stressed. STRESSED!

But then I take a moment, take a deep breath ask myself why. Why are things so chaotic around here? Because a toddler spends a great deal of time around here, that's why. Would I rather my house be sparkling clean and toddler free or be a total wreck and echoing with little girl giggles? It's not even a question worth asking. Give me those giggles, any day of the week. One day my house may be in order, and I fear it will be a lonely time. A quiet time and I don't want that. I want a busy little girl running from room to room. I want her mama chatting on the porch. I want her uncle sleeping late and leaving his clothes on the floor. OK, so I don't really want that last one, but hey, if it means my 20 year old Marine is stationed close enough to come home most weekends, I'll thank the Lord and get over the clothes on the floor.

Yes, my sewing room is a complete disaster, but how many people would love to have the luxury of having a whole room devoted to their hobby? Laundry is piling up because I have more clothes than I need. Dishes are dirty because I have plenty of food to eat.

This week my life is messy and chaotic and filled with more blessings than I count. I hope yours is too. You see, much of what feels like problems, if you take a moment and view things from a slightly different angle, you'll see not problems, but rather the byproducts of a life filled with blessings.

October 05, 2010

Sometimes I worry about sharing what I call a tip, for fear that everyone reading will be going duh, EVERYBODY already knows how to do that. And that may be the case, but I suspect I'm not the dingiest person who reads blogs. I'm sure there is at least one poor soul who is at least as dingie as me, and could use a helpful nuget of info every now and again. Let's call this tips for the dingy (dingie?) (Ding-batish?)

Alrightythen, tip #1 is how to hang a picture or mirror on your wall if you have molding that sitcks out. We finally got the molding up in the living room, above the beadboard wallpaper. I wanted to go with a wide board and a picture ledge. It didn't happen. We just ended up with a simple chair rail type molding, that in the end I'm very happy wth. At its thickest place, it sticks out 1/2-3/4 of an inch from the wall. Since we didn't do the picture ledge, that posed a slight problem for hainging pictures/mirrors back on the wall, unless they are completely above the molding. At 56 inches, that's a little high- a lot high. My solution?

Screw a scrap piece of the molding to the back of the piece I want to hang. I left a tad bit of room around the screws to wrap some wire and there you have it, a rigged up hanger. Doesn't look pretty, but it works.

This second tip I learned from my painting man, Mitch. If you are spray painting something and it begins to run, if you can move the item you are painting so that the run will be in a flat or horizontal postion while it is running it will flatten out. For example, say you are painting a lamp and get the paint heavy and it starts to run, if you can grap a portion that hasn't been painted and lean the lamp over for a few seconds while the paint is still wet, you can flatten the run.

October 04, 2010

I said I'd try to post every day. I didn't say I'd post early in the day. I nearly burried myself alive rearranging the sewing room today. I made progress, but didn't finish. You may remember, after Casey joined the Marines, I took over his room for a sewing room. It didn't take long for it to become the catch-all space. The layout just never seemed right. I'm trying something different. Will it be more condusive to creativity? That remains to be seen.

This is what my cutting table looked like before I started.

A mess! I hope I can share some pictures tommorow of an improved space.

I did manage to get a little fall on around here. Just a hint, but I'm surprised at how much I'm loving the addition of some orange sprinkled about.

Oh hey, remember that lamp?

I painted it orange to use in the guest room, but I don't mind if it hangs out here in the living room with the fall leaves and pumpkins for a while.

October 03, 2010

I'm hoping giving a theme to a couple days a week will give me some structure that will make posting with more regularity a little easier. For example, Gratitude Fridays. I'm going to add to that A few of my favorite things on Sunday.

I'm not getting paid by any of the companies I am sharing with you.

The first product I'm going to share has changed my life. Litterally. I have a glass stove top. I have a love/hate relationship with my stove. Cleaning a glass top is so much easier than cleaning drip pans, but it also has its issues. It's flat so you'd think just give it a good wipe, maybe spray on a little de-greaser. Nope. Not mine anyway. In order to get mine clean and streak free, I've had to use a mildly abrasive cleaner. They sell products made especially for glass top stoves or you can buy a mildly abrasive powder like Bon Ami. This is a multi-step process. First give it a scrub with the abrasive cleaner, if it is especilly spattered with grease, some degreaser may be necessary. I usually use dawn dishwashing detergent. A few drops along with the Bon Ami. Then you have to clean off the powder residue and give it a shine with window cleaner.

Recently I picked up a can of Weiman's stainless steel cleaner and polish. I bought it for my counter top. I'm not sure why I tried cleaing my cooktop with it, but WOW! Spray, wipe, done! My stove top was clean and shiny. I even tried it on the mirror behind my stove. Double wow! Cleaning that had been the biggest pain. Not any more.

When I searched Weimans to put in the link, I see they also have a glass cooktop cleaner. I may pick some up and give it a try, maybe not. For now, I'm thrilled with the results I get from the stainless cleaner.

One more thing I'm loving, except I feel kind of bad sharing it. I think it's been discontinued.

I painted one of Bayleigh's chairs and have painted some plates I plan to hang on the dining room wall. Love this color. I found it in a clearance paint section in Walmart. I loved it so much I went back and bought the last four cans and I'll be looking for more when I go to a different Walmart.

I surprised myself by crocheting a sweet little hat for her to wear home from the hospital. There were also two itty bitty dressesthat were so itty bitty, the were too small for her nearly 8 pound newborn self. In the two and a half years since her birth, I've failed to make all the frilly dresses I'd envisioned. I watch her while mommy works, so we spend our days playing, leaving very little time for sewing. Playing is more fun and more important, but after seeing this cutie, I decided I must get back in the sewing room. I may have overdone the pink. Can you over-do it when it comes to little girls and pink?

I didn't use a pattern, just an easy little elastic waist skirt in super cute fabric I'd been saving for something special. Yea, I'd say she meets that requirement. I believe the fabric is older than the girl.

The flowers are just circles of chiffon fabric, edges curled by holding over a candle.

October 01, 2010

Way back in the day, when I actually blogged on a regular basis, Fridays were dedicated to reflecting on the blessing in my life. I am going to try posting every day this month. Gasp! How will I go from posting a couple, maybe three times a month, to daily? I don't know, but I'm going to try. I may only post a photo with a word or two, but hey, if I'm going to pay every month to keep this space, I need to actually use it, right? Let's get this party started with some happy thoughts.

First of all, I'm so happy that after a summer that seemed to go on forever, autumn has finally made an appearance.

I cannot count my blessings and not mention this one,

Oh my what a gift she has been.

If you had told me when I started this blog that in a couple of years I'd be proudly calling myself Nana, I'm not sure I'd have been happy about the prospect. Now I can't remember life before her.

She fills up my heart in a way I never knew was possible. She makes me feel younger and happier and brighter and just better.

The past couple of years have been filled with changes. Changes I could never have predicted. I'm a nana. My babies are grown and have jobs and are living life as grown-ups. How did that happen? Casey is loving life as a Marine. Something I wasn't happy about in the begining, but has been a blessing. Alyssa loves her job as a psych nurse. Again, not a path I ever expected her to take, but she knows it was what she was meant to do. It makes this mama so grateful!

So does this,

and this sweet guy,

They fill my heart I tell ya! My heart overflows. For that I am so, so grateful.